Owners of assisted-living facilities are lobbying Massachusetts lawmakers for authority to provide several highly sought medical services — a campaign that is sparking concern among patient advocates and dividing the industry. Unlike nursing homes, which provide round-the-clock medical care by nurses, assisted-living centers are designed and regulated in Massachusetts as private apartments that offer assistance with daily activities, such as bathing, cooking, dressing, and managing medications. Such facilities are home to roughly 14,000 residents in Massachusetts. Proposed legislation would allow assisted-living facilities to provide limited medical services that include injections, catheter replacement, applying medication and sterile dressing for wounds and skin problems, and administering oxygen to patients with serious ailments.

For the article from the Boston Globe, click here.

Maria Parra, appearing pro se, appealed a final agency decision denying her application for Medicare Part D “Extra Help” benefits. Extra Help provides eligible low-income individuals assistance with their Medicare Part D drug plan costs. To be eligible, an individual must have income below 150% of the federal poverty line applicable to the relevant family size and meet certain resource requirements. Parra argued that she was eligible for Extra Help because the $104.90 monthly Medicare premium deducted from her Social Security disability benefits effectively reduced her annual income to below the 150% eligibility threshold. The federal district court for the Eastern District of New York granted the Commissioner’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. The court held that Medicare premiums are not subtracted from an applicant’s annual income when determining Extra Help eligibility. Moreover, even if the premium amounts were excluded, the Commissioner’s findings were supported by substantial evidence that both Parra’s income and assets still exceeded the program requirements.

Parra v. Colvin, 2016 WL 755629 (E.D. N.Y. Feb. 25, 2016) (unpublished)

An immediate consultation between trauma surgeons and a geriatrician improves multidisciplinary care of elderly accident victims and the sensitivity of the family to the patient’s ongoing health care needs. The process also demonstrates the role of the hospital’s trauma surgery service as a foundation for creating comprehensive clinical pathways for acute and follow-up care of vulnerable elderly patients, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in advance of print publication. Researchers compared processes of care and clinical outcomes before and after a trauma surgery program that began in September 2013 and automatically referred patients age 70 years and older for geriatric consultation. The approach used in this study triggered a consultation with a geriatrician whenever an elderly patient was sent for trauma surgery.

For the article from the EurekAlert, click here.